18. Kat

Chapter 18

T he zoo was pretty great despite the heat and the fact that I struggled to keep myself from drooling most of the time. I’m not sure what it is or when it even became a thing, but watching the way they care for Addison somehow makes them hotter. It shouldn’t be possible, not with the way they look already, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t imagined climbing them like trees on a few different occasions now. I know I need to get myself under control. I’m technically their employee, but they aren’t exactly helping.

No, if anything, they seem as though they like watching me squirm, and despite my best efforts, I am, in fact, squirming. Even if it’s only when I’m alone in my bed every night.

After the zoo, Addison requested that we all go swimming. It makes sense with how hot it is. I’m sure the pool would feel amazing, but I was tempted to decline. Technically, I’m not working today, and everyone else has agreed to go. I could easily slip up to my room, shower, and… what, hide away?

Shit, that sounds pathetic.

So, instead, I make my way to my room and slowly change, once again opting to throw on a thin dress as a cover and cursing myself for not having ordered the one piece yet.

I stand in my room, changed and ready, but unable to make myself move. I just need a few minutes to breathe before I go back downstairs. I scroll through some bathing suit options and place an order before I forget again. It won’t be here for two days, but better late than never, right?

With nothing else to do, I pace my room until movement out my window catches my attention.

Oh. My. God.

Nope, there is no way I can go down there!

I’d had a hard time keeping my eyes to myself when they were fully clothed today, and now…

Well, now they have a lot more skin on display.

I watch from the window like a creep, unable to pull myself away as they walk around the pool in nothing but swim trunks.

My memory didn’t do Alex justice the same way it hadn’t Desmond. Months after our one night together, the image of them I remember was more like a watered-down version.

Tattoos cover their tanned, muscular chests and arms. Desmond even has them down his legs. I’d seen him in the pool the other day, but I hadn’t really had much opportunity to look, not without him noticing. Now, from the safety of my room, I eat him up.

Desmond and Alex get in the pool with Addison, and I hear her laughter as they swim around her, splashing and playing. Oliver comes out next, and while he isn’t covered in tattoos and his muscles aren’t as defined, it’s not as if he’s lacking. He’s definitely more lean muscle, like a swimmer or a runner, but fuck me, something about seeing him so dressed down is almost erotic.

I stand gawking at them in the window far longer than I should, and in the end, I guess I’m not as sneaky as I hoped. Desmond hops out of the pool, talking to someone I can’t see, but I assume it's Nate or maybe even Vincent. Grabbing a towel, he hastily dries himself before tossing it on one of the recliners as he makes his way toward the house. He stops just short of the awning that will hide him from my line of sight and turns so that his gaze meets mine. I panic, frozen like a deer in headlights, knowing I should move but unable to as a smirk curves his lips before he continues on.

There’s not a doubt in my mind he saw me, though. As he disappears from sight, I finally take hold of my body and force myself to take a step back, away from the window.

Shit.

I make my way through the house slowly, but it doesn’t take long before I can hear them. The sound of Addison’s laughter rings out, and I can hear Nathan and Vincent’s deep voices rumble, and though I can’t make out what they’re saying, I know it’s them.

I might not have been able to see them through my window, but as I make it to the sliding glass door, I can’t miss them. They both stand near the biggest grill I’ve ever seen. It’s made with stones instead of just the typical metal and has counters, drawers, and knobs galore. Much like the coffeepot they have, it seems they only use the best of the best.

Nathan smiles at something Vincent says as he grabs a spatula and gets to work tending to the hamburgers on the grill. Damn it, why is it so hot when a man cooks? Vincent’s back is to me, but he’s shirtless, and I take a moment to look him over before I reach the door and draw their attention.

He’s covered in tattoos, much like Desmond is, but something about this is very different. They don’t feel the same. Whereas Desmond’s are colorful or nice black-and-white pieces with clean lines, Vincent’s seem harder. Some of them look as if he’s had them all his life, and some look like they might be from a gang or something.

I can’t really put my finger on it, but they just aren’t the same, though both are sexy as hell.

Wait, are those scars?

No! Bad Kat! I do not need another man to add to my dreams.

Shaking myself, I take a deep breath and slowly let it out while making myself take the last few steps to the door and pull it open before I can change my mind.

The second the glass door is open, I’m hit with the smell of ribs, burgers, and other things I can’t put my finger on. It all smells heavenly, and my stomach rumbles, thinking about how great it’s going to taste. I’m not sure if it’s the door opening or my stomach that gets their attention, but either way, they turn to me, and I pause for a moment under their gaze.

Vincent and Nathan are both intimidating men, from their good looks to their build and even just the way they hold themselves. Everything about them is delicious and enough to make me squirm, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t wish I’d just come out the other door, on the opposite side of the pool from them.

“I was starting to think you fell asleep up there.” Nathan chuckles, still manning the grill.

“It was tempting,” I mumble, kicking myself for not just staying up there.

“Well, food will be done soon, and I know a certain little princess who will be happy to see you,” Vincent says with a nod toward the pool where Desmond is once again in the pool, and he and Alex are playing with Addison. Looking around a bit, I also spot Oliver reclined in one of the sun chairs near the hot tub, a book in hand. Sunglasses hide his eyes, but I swear I can feel his gaze on me. Or maybe I’m just feeling everyone else's.

I take the way out he offered me, and head toward the pool, but I can feel their eyes on me even as I cross the little bridge.

How am I going to take this damn dress off with them looking at me like that? I know, I won’t.

Addison is focused on whatever it is she, Desmond, and Alex are doing and doesn’t seem to notice me. The same can’t be said for the two of them, though. Their heads snap to me the moment I’m in sight, and even from across the sitting area, I can see the heat in their eyes.

Thankfully, they don’t draw attention to me, and I drop down in one of the reclining sun chairs. It takes a minute, but eventually, I feel their gazes fall away as Vincent and Nathan return to their conversation as they grill while Alex and Desmond continue to play with Addison.

Sitting in the sun, it only takes a few minutes before I’m sweating again. There’s not a cloud in the sky, and even with only my thin dress over my suit, it’s hot.

Leaning forward, I gather my dress and pull it over my head, trying not to draw attention to myself as I do it. Dropping my dress on the stone floor next to the chair, I lay back, letting my eyes fall closed. I’d thankfully applied another layer of sunscreen before I came out, or I’d be burning up, but as it is, I can afford to lay here and relax for a moment.

“Kat!”

Addison’s cry pulls me from unconsciousness, and I realize, at some point, I must have dozed off. Peeling my eyes open, I find her at the edge of the pool, her tiny hands gripping the stone as she peers over it to look at me.

“Will you swim with us?” she asks with a smile. How the hell can I say no to that face?

“Of course,” I tell her as I push to stand, stretching after my little cat nap. “Going for a swim sounds pretty good right now. It’s hot out here.”

She lets out a squeal of excitement before quickly swimming back toward Alex, who’s only a few feet behind her, his eyes glued to me. Instead of shrinking in on myself the way I usually would, I push forward, raising my chin as I walk around the stone sitting area to the pool's stairs.

We swim for a while, splashing and just enjoying the refreshing water before Nathan calls us out to eat. Addison grumbles a bit, but he promises her we can all swim after, and that’s all it takes for her to be all smiles again.

The food is delicious, like finger-licking good. The ribs are so tender they fall off the bone, and the cod is the best I’ve ever had. I can’t help but take a second helping, even though I’m already so full. It’s just too good not to.

That’s how I end up almost choking to death on fish, of all things.

Everyone’s finished eating. Addison only ate what was required before declaring she was full and ready to go back into the pool. The guys ate a lot, like probably double what I did, but they also ate much faster than me. I hadn’t thought anything about it when Nathan got up, but the second his shirt is off just so happens to be the same moment I shove my last bite in my mouth.

I’m not sure what I expected. He’d told Addison we would all swim after we ate, but for some reason, it had escaped me that it would require him to be shirtless. I’d dreamed of Nathan naked more than once now, but my imagination had failed me. If I thought he was good-looking in my dreams, it’s nothing compared to the real deal.

His chest has defined muscles, which I could have guessed from the way his clothes hug him. What I wouldn’t have guessed is that he would also be covered in tattoos.

I’d seen the ones on his forearms this morning when he wore his sleeves rolled up. But those were smaller, and, for some reason, I’d imagined them to be his only ones.

Wrong again.

The tattoos that cover his chest and back are anything but small. In fact, I’m pretty sure he has more ink than skin showing.

I manage to clear my throat, but not without drawing attention to myself. Attention that I desperately do not want right now, but even despite that, I can’t seem to pull my eyes away. I move up his chest until our eyes meet, his lips turn up in a smirk, and I get the feeling he knows exactly how fucking hot he is.

The others all follow suit, and thankfully, I have no more food to choke on because, despite the fact that I’ve seen Alex and Desmond naked, I’m still left speechless. Add in Oliver and Vincent, and I’m damn near drooling.

“Come on, Kat!” Addison yells as she races toward me with a bright smile on her face. “It’s family swim time!” Her words warm my heart, and she doesn’t even seem to realize it.

She tugs on my hand, and I push to stand, quickly pulling off my dress as I go. I get the feeling she’s not going to pause to let me get it off, and I’d rather not be weighed down by it.

Addison is in such a hurry that I don’t get a moment to let the embarrassment sink in, despite the fact that I can feel their eyes on me. I’ve been a blushing mess since I walked out here, and with all of them shirtless, I’m not sure I could get much more red, so at least that’s something.

It’s still a little early, but today has been a long day, and I’m exhausted. After a shower, I pull on some sleep shorts and a tank top and climb up into bed, grabbing my book off the nightstand. I haven’t had a lot of time to read lately, and I doubt I’ll get far tonight with the way my eyelids feel, but reading always relaxes me.

My eyes have just started drooping when a knock at the door echoes through the room, making me jump and drop my book.

Damn it, I have no idea what page I was on.

The knock sounds again, and I drop it on the table to worry about later before moving from the bed to the door.

It’s not until I’ve pulled it open and heat flares in Alex’s eyes as he looks me up and down that I remember I’m in very little clothes right now. He doesn’t say anything, watching me as I take a step back and to the side to hide behind the door as I feel my face heat.

“Um… What can I do for you?” I ask, unable to stand the stretch of silence.

Alex leans in, bracing his forearm against the door frame, looking completely at ease despite my lack of clothing, or maybe because of it, and damn him and his ability to make everything look good.

“Nate wanted to see you in his office if you had a moment,” he says with a smile as he continues to shamelessly look me up and down, making me feel more exposed than I am.

“Oh,” I say stupidly as worry turns my stomach.

Have I done something wrong?

“Ok, just let me change.” I hook my thumb over my shoulder as if he doesn’t know I’d change in my room and almost groan with how dumb that probably sounded.

Instead of putting my foot farther in my mouth, I simply move to close the door and change, only for it to stop abruptly.

Alex leans in closer, and I realize he’s stopped it with his foot.

“It’s nothing formal, no need to change.” His voice is deeper now than it was a moment ago. It rolls over me, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from shivering as I clench my thighs together.

I’m not wearing any real underwear. Technically, the shorts I have on are underwear, but I sleep in them because they are comfortable. But they are in no way something I should walk around in outside of my room and definitely not something I should, under any circumstances, go and see my boss in.

Before I can say as much, he reaches out, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind him down the hall. I stutter out weak protests, but if he hears me, he doesn’t acknowledge me, and before I know it, we’re standing in front of another door at the end of the hall.

Alex raps his knuckles on the door, pushing it open a second later without giving enough time for a response.

Not five minutes ago, I’d been cuddled up in my bed with a book on the verge of sleep, and now I stand in Nathan’s office, severely underdressed, with Nathan’s eyes burning into me from his spot behind his desk and Alex’s grip lighting me up from the inside out.

Fuck.